Vehicular Weapon Mounts, Curious about other people's experiences Options

[BlackHat]

Bored at work, so I thought I would post a question about something that has been bothering me.

So, for an obviously forbidden (not legal in any shape, size or form) bit of gear, I can't help but think that the weapon mounts described in the BBB *must* imply some concealability. I mean, having a huge turret-mounted gun on the top of your van is certainly bad-assed, but you won't be able to so much as run to the store to pick up a shake without ending up on the evening news as part of a police-chase video.

Even if the gun was somewhat hidden (like, two little barrels stick out of the back of your bumper or something), if you parked your car anywhere, it seems like a handful of people walking down the street would notice and go "holy shit, that guy has fucking guns hanging underneith his ride" and by the time you got back with your cart full of groceries, you'd have a SWAT-team lined up around your van.

I know SR3 had lots of cool options like pop-up turrets, as well as the obvious kind - but I imagine we won't see official rules on most of that until the proper splatbook comes out... but in your games, what role (if any) do vehicle weapon mounts play?

Am I missing something about the setting, is it commonplace to see a bike with a gun-barrel sticking out of the front? Seems like between traffic cameras, drones, beat cops, etc... if your car has a gun mounted on it... you won't make it far without having to use it.

Or are they just way less noticable than I am thinking? Like, some James Bond car where the headlights roll back to reveal the gun barrels and oil-slick shooter?

[DireRadiant]

Bothers me a bit too.

For now I assume that any weapon + weapon Mount combination in the main books is by default as concealable as the weapon is. This sets a base value. (e.g. you mostly can't conceal a lmg)

For everyday driving, I would simply say, remove the weapon, and possibly the weapon mount before driving around grocery shopping if you don't want attention. I would say a weapon mount without a weapon might not even be recognized as such by normal people. It's that extra spoiler or whatever.

When they do come out with pop up turrets etc, then there the incentive for getting them. It's the convenience of not having to take five minutes bolting and unbolting the weapon and mounts every time you want to go grocery shopping.

Though there are probably grocery stores where it may be useful to go with mounted weapons.

[ronin3338]

Our take (from SR3) was that weapons were concealed in a fixed firing position. The advantage to the pop up turret was arc of fire.

This also helped explain why you couldn't mount very many weapons in a vehicle under those rules.

[lorechaser]

I see it as case of "don't drive your combat van where the Star patrols." You don't shop with your lmgs in downtown Denver, do you?

Yeah, there's a downside to mounting grenade launchers - get a cheap bike if you go to high sec areas....